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karatecatman · Guest

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TIMES OF INDIA

India to ink largest-ever defence deal with the US soon
26 Dec 2008

NEW DELHI: Even as tensions with Pakistan persist in the wake of 26/11, India is now poised to ink its biggest-ever defence deal with US: the around Rs 8,500-crore contract for the supply of eight Boeing P-8I long-range maritime reconnaissance (LRMR) aircraft for the Navy.

"Virtually all the steps'' required for the contract to be signed, including tabling of it in the Cabinet Committee on Security for approval, have been completed, said sources on Friday.

The first of these LRMR aircraft will be delivered within four years of the contract being actually signed, with the rest being handed over by 2015, said sources.

The LRMR planes will replace the eight ageing and fuel-guzzling Russian-origin Tupolev-142Ms. Customised for India and based on the Boeing 737 commercial airliner, the radar-packed P-8I aircraft will go a long way in plugging the huge gaps in Navy's maritime snooping capabilities with a range of over 600 nautical miles.

Incidentally, Navy is also in the hunt for six new medium-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft for around Rs 1,600 crore to achieve its aim of an effective three-tier surveillance grid in the entire Indian Ocean.

Both Navy and Coast Guard have come in for some criticism for not being able to pre-empt the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai, even though the two forces maintain that they did not get "actionable intelligence'' in time.

The P-8I aircraft will also be armed with Harpoon missiles, torpedoes and depth bombs to give them potent anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare capability. Moreover, they "will enhance interoperability'' between the Indian and American navies, in keeping with the growing strategic embrace between the two countries.

The LRMR deal will supplant last year's $962-million contract signed with US for six C-130J `Super Hercules' aircraft for use by Indian special forces.

US is still, however, leagues behind Russia, Israel and France in supplying military hardware and software to India. While Russia notches up sales worth about $1.5 billion to India every year, Israel chalks up an annual tally of around $1 billion.

Apart from the C-130J deal, America's only big-ticket deal with India in recent years has been the $190-million contract in 2002 to supply 12 AN/TPQ-37 firefinder weapon-locating radars.

Then, of course, India last year acquired amphibious transport vessel USS Trenton for $48.23 million, with the six UH-3H helicopters to operate from it costing another $39 million.

During its quest for LRMR planes, India had earlier rejected the US offer to lease two P-3C Orion reconnaissance aircraft under a $133-million contract. India, of course, remains unhappy over the American decision to sell eight more P-3C Orion aircraft to Pakistan, which already has two such planes in its inventory.

***
General Characteristics:
Propulsion: Two CFM567
engines providing 27,000
pounds thrust each
Length: 129.5 feet (39.47 meters)
Wing Span: 123.6 feet (37.64 meters)
Height: 42.1 feet (12.83 meters)
Maximum Takeoff Gross Weight: 187,700 pounds (85,139 kilograms)
Speed: 490 knots (564 mi/h, 789 km/h)
Range: 1,200+ nautical miles, with 4 hours on station
(1,381 miles, 2,222 kilometers)
Ceiling: 41,000 feet (12,496 meters)
Crew: 9

***
Copyright pictures

***
Airbus lost out by offering almost the same thing as an A319.
Sad to see the TUs go Confused

shivendrashukla

HAWK21M · Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 11:18 pm Post subject:

I wonder if its the perfect replacement.Not in range def.
regds
MEL
_________________
Think of the Brighter side !!!

shivendrashukla · Posted: Sun Dec 28, 2008 11:24 am Post subject:

P-8i are the replacements for IL-38's and not Tu-142's.

Cheers
Shivendra

ssbmat · Member Joined: 20 Dec 2006 Posts: 1710

IMO the TU-142 should be reconverted to Strategic Bomber role, which was the original design (Tu-95 Bear)..if at all possible.

That way India could project its nuclear capability across China and control vast parts of Africa as well.

shivendrashukla · Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2009 7:18 pm Post subject:

Tu-142 still have a purpose. It would not be wise to convert them into bombers. Moreover, since we now have an air to air refueller, this gives our fighers an infinite range. So those bombers will have no role to play.

Cheers
Shivendra

sammyk · Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2009 10:44 am Post subject:

Nothing more badass than a 737 with missles! Very Happy

sumantra · Member Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 4685 Location: New Delhi

shivendrashukla wrote:
``Tu-142 still have a purpose. It would not be wise to convert them into bombers. Moreover, since we now have an air to air refueller, this gives our fighers an infinite range. So those bombers will have no role to play. ''

Agree with you, Shivendra. Technically, the Tu-142M is quite a different bird as
compared to the Tu-95 in spite of their from-the-outside resemblance, and their common
NATO call-sign. Does India still have the four Tu-22M Blinder bombers which are
nuclear-capable? Perhaps also a hush-hush Jaguar conversion. The Tu-142M's
unrefuelled range and endurance are its USPs, and their cruising speed is quite optimal
for the rece role.
Cheers, Sumantra.

karatecatman · Guest

www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1249226
Navy likely to base its long-range surveillance planes in TN
PTI
April 20, 2009 22:42 IST Email

New Delhi: The Indian Navy is likely to base its newly acquired long-range maritime surveillance aircraft P8-I at one of its air bases in Tamil Nadu.

"We are planning to base our P-8Is at Naval Air Station Rajali at Arakonnam replacing the Russian Tupolov 142s now used by us," Navy officials said here.

The P-8Is have been procured by the Indian Navy to replace the Tu-142 fleet inducted into the Navy in 80s. The Navy will start developing the infrastructure at the base to host ten aircraft.

"The Rajali base has a long runway at present used by the Tu-142s. More infrastructure will be created for the P8-Is which are expected to arrive in 2013," they said.

Deployment and usage, officials said, of the P-8I was discussed by the senior Naval officers during the Naval Commanders' conference in Vishakhapatanam.

The process to acquire the long-range maritime surveillance aircraft was on for the past few years and on January 1 this year, the Defence Ministry signed an agreement worth USD 2.1 billion with United States defence major Boeing for procuring eight P-8Is.

These aircraft will form a part of the outermost surveillance ring of the Navy to patrol the 7,516 km-long coastline of the country.

The Navy is also planning to procure medium range maritime reconnaissance aircraft to carry out patrols in areas around 200 nautical miles from the coastline and is carrying out technical evaluation of aircraft offered in response to its global Request for Proposal (RFP) issued last year.

The Navy also uses its Dornier aircraft for carrying out medium range missions along with its Israeli Heron unmanned
aerial vehicles.

The P-8I is a multi-mission maritime aircraft nicknamed 'submarine hunter' and can be used effectively against surface
ships also.

Based on the Boeing 737 commercial aircraft airframe, P-8I is a variant of the American P-8A 'Poseidon' expected to be inducted in the US Navy around 2012.

vivekman · Member Joined: 26 Dec 2006 Posts: 1897 Location: BOM

Which aircraft are in the fray for the medium range maritime recon platforms? I had heard about ATR-42s some time ago.

- Vivek
_________________
Boeing makes planes. Airbus makes videogames!